After three rounds of IVF and a heartbreaking ectopic pregnancy, it was finally time for me to have my miracle baby.

When I was only three months pregnant and just starting to share the news, I attended a birthday dinner for a really good friend. A mutual friend had given birth about a year ago, and mentioned to make sure to listen to my body and that things that might not seem like a problem, can be. She made it clear she didn’t want to scare me, but to listen to my body when something feels weird. She was really itchy and casually mentioned it to her nurse. Turns out, that itch was so dangerous that they induced her that very evening.

Cut to a few months later I had pretty much forgotten about the conversation and woke up in the middle of the night feeling like somebody had dumped a bunch of dog hair in my pajamas. I was severely itchy and at first, I didn’t know what was going on. I thought maybe it’s just regular pregnancy itch, my skin stretching… but then I remember that conversation with my friend a few months back.

I called my hospital and they had me come in right away. After confirming ICP, it was terrifying knowing what my baby was going through. With each monitoring appointment I was always so worried that we may have missed something or that she wouldn’t be OK.

I am so incredibly thankful that someone told me about how dangerous itching can be during pregnancy. Without that conversation, I don’t think I would have called the hospital that night, and who knows how my baby’s story would have ended.

Since we caught my intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy relatively early in my pregnancy at around 27 weeks, I went in for monitoring 3 to 4 times a week until I reached 37 weeks and thankfully my baby girl was born happy and healthy.

ICP awareness is so incredibly important- literally lifesaving.

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Cassandra Bae is a seasoned professional with 15 years of experience in entertainment and marketing industries. She has garnered success as a creative content producer, contributing her talents to major media outlets like NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, Bravo, Animal Planet, and Netflix.

Currently, Cassandra brings her wealth of knowledge and creative skills to support the growth of the largest MBE Certified CPA and Business Consulting Firm in the United States.

Cassandra resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband Steve, daughter Shelby Dakota, and rescue pup Honolulu.